Hey all
I want to cannibalize a good encounter for my home game. Any suggestions? Level is not a factor as I'm really just looking for something interesting like terrain feature or mechanic that will stick out.
We once played a PFS scenario (I forget the name) where we fought on a giant pipe organ, and in a grain silo, etc. I'm looking for things like that which would be memorable.
Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.
Cheers
-JB
Okay, just finished Queen of Thorns.
I not only like it the most of the three on its own, but I love what it does as part of the evolving character arc for Varian and Radovan.
More thoughts below the spoiler line. WARNING: NO PUNCHES PULLED THIS IS SPOILER TASTIC!
click here:
I forget who coined the adage: "don't put a gun in the first act that
isn't going to go off in the third act" but one of my favorite elements of this story was the numerous subtle internal callbacks that reward readers.
Chief among them--in my opinion--is Radovan's heritage.
I love that in Prince of Wolves we find out about the nobility
inherent in his heritage. There are even a few moments of tension--if
I remember correctly--in Master of Devils or the intervening short
fiction about the fact that Radovan resents that he doesn't get equal
standing to the boss despite being the "damn prince of wolves."
As readers I felt like we previously saw Radovan's heritage as a sort of
rounding-out of his character while the devil side of him seemed like
part of his more recent history.
In Master of Devils the infernal aspect of Radovan's lineage became
front and center, but mostly due to the mechanics of his infernal
transformation. Any thoughts I had about a greater purpose
to his devil-side was subsumed by his predicament in the second book, thus still making it important but sort of distracting us as readers with Radovan's ordeal under Burning Cloud Devil.
At the end of Master of Devils I liked that Radovan had lost that part
of him, but is seemed a little neat, making me wonder if there was
more to come.
What was so engaging, for me, in Queen of Thorns was that it merged
the two previous elements of its predecessors. Radovan's nobility
became just as crucial as his infernal lineage in a way I had never
anticipated. It went back and imbued the events in Prince of Wolves
with more significance, something that I love for whenever I read a series.
Also, unlike a comic book series that goes off the rails (alternate
universe after alternate universe, characters that die and come back
over and over, clones), the reveal of Radovan's role as the Infernal
AND Abyssal gate means that the Devil part of him is not only
ever-present, but can change depending on the possessing devil without
feeling like a trite and hackneyed re-hash of what's been done before.
Dave Gross has managed to preserved the dynamic of Redovan's infernal side while introducing a way for it to constantly renew itself.
Watching that develop over the last three books has been excellent, and Queen of Thorns is the payout.
Where Varian is concerned I've enjoyed the sort of downgrading he's
had from his more noble roots in Prince of Wolves. His promotion of
Radovan to friend and then "brother" is really great character
development in my opinion, and I like the fact that we watch his
personal relationships evolve from those of manners and etiquette to
those of true depth and resourceful cooperation. I felt that the
Varian of Prince of Wolves was more self-reliant because he was
embroiled in his own skill set, whereas in his conversations with
Zaldanavox we see him drawing on skills he himself likens to Radovan's
charms rather than his own highborn courtesies. I also like the way
we have seen over the total three books his own arcane pursuits become enhanced by his greater worldly adventures.
His discovery of the riffle scrolls was his own design, but his incorporation of the calligraphy into his spellcasting in Dragon Temple grew out of the menial indignities that in other circumstances he might never have been exposed to.
The fact that Varian's own diplomatic tangle with the dragon gets
summed up by Radovan as "just keep her happy," really underscores that
the two of them are finding themselves in each others roles more and
more.
Stepping outside of the writing to the work's interaction with the Pathfinder Game, I love that there are subtle payouts for the readers that are also heavy gamers.
I think Zuldanavox is a great example. As a green dragon, informed gamers know that they're lawful evil. Dave Gross doesn't need to find a way to translate that from "gamespeak" into "bookspeak."
In fact, I felt that by having Radovan say in the earlier part of the book that the difference between a demon and devil is that "you can make a deal with a devil," we not only get foreshadowing of his later
compact with Hell, but we as readers are also getting a prescient description of the relationship Kyonin must ultimately have with the Queen of Thorns.
Again: Gun, first act. Third act, boom.
I also think that one of the ways the story transcends typical
shared-world fiction is that the main characters don't feel steeped in
any single alignment.
The prince was treacherous, but because he believed he knew best for
Kyonin. Caladrel was not evil, or sociopathic, he simply chose the
wrong side and was willing to betray others for that belief. The fact
that even Zuldanavox is open to diplomacy for the common good of
solving the Witchbole Problem reinforces that the characters have more
complex motivations than "what would Chaotic Eeeeeeeevil do?"
And on a purely visceral moment of enjoyment: the moment where Varian undoes the riffle scroll to cast (I'm assuming True Strike) to split Caladrel's arrow before it hits Variel was AWESOME.
I saw it in my head almost like when Li Mu Bai deflects the hundred darts in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.
But even in just enjoying the action-packed moments the book really grabbed me. I was enjoying a slow and digestive read up until the battle in the City of Thorns began in earnest.
Then I couldn't put it down.
All in all I loved the book on its own and as part of the whole. I'd love to know what others thought/think.
Cheers
-JDB
Greetings all.
There are some spells that last all day, or close enough that a wizard or cleric or whoever would want to cast them first thing in the day.
So far, the ones I've been able to peg are
Core:
Mind Blank
Moment of Prescience
Spell Compendium:
Elemental Body (SO good)
Complete Mage:
Heart of Earth/Air/Water/Fire
Anyone else have any other good ones, core or otherwise?
My character in question is an arcane caster working off the wizard list.
Greetings,
Anyone know why the Archmage didn't make the cut to Pathfinder? I can't imagine it was so world or system specific (like say the Red Wizard) that copyright infringement was an issue. I also thought it was a pretty cool class with some neat abilities that I would have loved to see what the guys at Paizo could have done with it.
Was it a choice to do away with 5 level PRC's perhaps?
Anything anyone knows would be awesome.
Thanks,
QGJ
Verick Hassaldor was a Chelaxian wizard five centuries before Aroden’s death. Precociously gifted, Hassaldor became obsessed with legends of the Varisian Runelords, leading to a lifetime of study and adventuring within the frontiers of Varisia where he excavated countless ruins, catalogued numerous recovered items and even learned some of the Runelords’ secrets at magecraft.
When Hassaldor retired from adventuring he built his fortified manor where he had already spent most of his life - in the coldest peaks of Varisia’s Kodar Mountains. Although his adventuring was done, Hassaldor’s mind remained sharp. He put his abilities to use creating a wealth of magic items for sale, personal use and simple curiosity. As Hassildor’s workshop grew so did his household, staffed with artisans and tradesmen to aid the industrious wizard. This growth spurred more and more people to seek Hassaldor for his craftsmanship and his knowledge of ancient Varisia.
Over the years Hassaldor grew increasingly eccentric. In addition to payment, Hassaldor demanded his guests solve an enigmatic riddle or complex puzzle before he would treat with them. Five years before the aging wizard passed he completed his masterpiece: Hassaldor’s Span.
Hassaldor’s manor was built on the far side of a steep ravine called Windshorn Pass. He demolished the existing stone span and erected an elaborate double-sided drawbridge, housing the machinery to raise and lower it in a gatehouse on either side. Hassaldor’s Span is fifty feet long and splits in the middle, both sides lowering when either gatehouse is activated. Whenever the wizard concocted a new riddle, or puzzle he would key the bridge’s lowering to the answer. Although ways existed to circumvent the bridge, Hassaldor considered such efforts “cheating” and would not deal with those that would not solve his riddles.
When Hassaldor died his craftsmen tried to persevere, but without the draw of the wizard’s reputation visitors dwindled and the workshop could not be sustained. They sealed the manor, took what they could carry and left. Rumors of the treasures they had to abandon have spurred adventurers into the Kodar Mountains ever since.
Hassaldor’s Span remains, and his last challenge still governs passage across Windshorn Pass.
Race Across Windshorn Pass
As the path levels out, the tall rock-face that bracketed your ascent all day begins to give way to a clearing where the path makes a sharp, westward bend. North of the turn, low, rocky hills dotted with pine trees fade into the approaching dusk. Although the falling snow muffles your footfalls and breathing, you can already hear the howling cry of Windshorn Pass ahead. Finding shelter from the elements will not be a mere comfort tonight, but a necessity. Rounding the bend you see a squat, stone gatehouse attached to one half of an ornate drawbridge that connects both sides of the yawning ravine below. Across the chasm, a duplicate building adjoins the second half of the drawbridge. Both sides of the bridge stand bolt upright, like the spears of steadfast watchmen, still standing guard after centuries.
Through the haze of falling snow you see the silhouette of a building beyond the gatehouse on the opposite side.
Creature: A warband of 10 bugbears has adopted Hassaldor’s Span as an ambush site, having watched the PCs approach. They use the small hills and trees for cover and surprise. The leader, Crackjaw, is a sorcerer that acquired an almost spent wand of Invisibility Sphere from a victim. Crackjaw and 2 bugbears are invisible in area 1, when the ambush begins. He sends them to attack the PC’s rear, cutting off retreat, while the rest of his band attacks from the north. Crackjaw stays invisible, and directs battle rather than engaging. If the fight turns against his band, Crackjaw abandons them without hesitation.
Creature: After three rounds of combat a chaitrakhan attacks, having crept down from the rocks above area 1. Crackjaw is the target as the chaitrakhan’s heat sense pierces the bugbear’s invisibility, and the sorcerer is not engaged in combat. When Crackjaw is attacked, the GM reads the following:
A blood-curdling scream cuts through the sounds of battle. Turning to look you see a massive, cat-like creature covered in blue, armor-like plates viciously shaking its head. As it does, drops of blood fan across the snow until you hear a crunch and the screaming stops. Another bugbear materializes suddenly, its twisted neck clamped in the ice-cat’s jaws. With a final savage shake, the beast drops the goblinoid’s body and approaches.
The chaitrakhan’s arrival sends the bugbears fleeing. Additionally, a DC 10 Perception check detects the roar of other chaitrakhan nearby. A second creature arrives 1d6 rounds after the bugbears flee. Two more arrive 1d6 rounds after that and so on until all six pack-members arrive.
The Gatehouse area 2
The gatehouse operates both halves of Hassaldor’s Span, the doors and windows long gone. Upon entering the GM reads the following:
A slab stands tilted towards you atop a stone pedestal. Small, depressible tiles sit in two rows of five. The top row is numbers 1-5, one number per tile. The second row is numbers 6-10. Upon approaching the pedestal a ghostly voice speaks in common:
“Those seeking to cross Windshorn Pass must see and think not as expected. Press the tiles in sequence, all will be used and no tile more than once. Remember that numbers are, sometimes, just words...”
To lower the bridge the PCs must enter a 10 digit sequence. When a tile is depressed it remains so until all ten tiles are pressed. If the sequence is correct, both drawbridges lower in one full round. If the sequence is incorrect, all 10 tiles elevate to their original position. Entering the 10 digits is a standard action.
The numbers on the tiles are misdirection. The true sequence is alphabetical; the first letters of each number (i.e. “o” for one, “tw” for two, “th” for three, etc) establish the number’s place in the sequence.
Thus the sequence is:
Eight, Five, Four, Nine, One, Seven, Six, Ten, Three, Two
Time and the elements have degraded the stone of the pedestal exposing the bridge mechanism. 3 successive DC 25 Disable Device checks bring the two halves of the drawbridge within 10’ of each other, allowing the PCs to jump across. The gatehouse on the opposite side area 3 contains a duplicate tablet, and can also be operated through 3 successive DC 25 Disable Device checks. But if the PCs cross the span by any means other than solving the bridge riddle, they will find their exploration within the manor much much harder.
Hassaldor’s manor is a short way up the hill. There, the PCs can take shelter from the elements and begin searching for something more valuable than any item Verick Hassaldor ever crafted: his diary. For within this journal Hassaldor recorded the last known location of one of the most powerful artifacts the Runelords of Varisia ever forged: the legendary Sable Prism.
Bugbears (9) CR 2
XP 600 each
hp 16 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 38)
Chaitrakhan (1-6) CR 6
XP 2400 each
hp 42 each (RPG superstar 2010 round 3)
Bugbear sorcerer 3 CR 3
XP 800
hp 32 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 38)
Lahamu CR 6
XP 2400
NE Medium magical beast
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +4
=====
Defense
=====
AC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+4 Dex, +2 natural)
hp 51 (6d10+18);
Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +4
=====
Offense
=====
Speed 50ft.
Melee bite +8 (1d8+2/19-20 plus grab),
Special Attacks jagged bite, soul siphon (DC 16), wail (DC 16)
=====
Statistics
=====
Str 15, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 12
Base Atk +6; CMB +8 (+12 grapple); CMD 22 (26 vs. trip)
Feats Improved Initiative, Ability Focus (wail), Improved Natural Attack
Skills Acrobatics +5, Climb +3, Perception +4, Stealth +6
=====
Ecology
=====
Environment temperate plains
Organization solitary or pack (3-6)
Treasure none
=====
Special Abilities
=====
Jagged Bite (Ex) Tiny hooking barbs along the edges of the lahamu’s long, sharp fangs allows it to use the grab ability on creatures of its own size or smaller and threatens a critical hit on a 19-20.
Soul Siphon (Su) Any creature damaged by a lahamu’s bite must make a Fortitude save or take 1 point of Charisma damage. When a lahamu uses its grab ability to successfully start a grapple, the target must continue to make a Fortitude save each round the grapple is maintained or continue to take Charisma damage. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Wail (Su) As a standard action a lahamu can wail, forcing all living creatures in a 100’ radius to succeed on a Will save or be shaken for 1d4 rounds. Creatures that fail this save also suffer a -1 penalty on all Fortitude saves against the same lahamu’s Soul Siphon ability. The penalty lasts for as long as the target is shaken. This is a sonic mind-affecting fear effect. A creature that successfully saves against the wail cannot be affected by the same lahamu’s wail for 24 hours. Other lahamu are immune to this ability. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Lahamu are malicious, pack hunting predators who feed on the body and soul of their victims. The size of a pony but less compact, lahamu stand 3 to 4 feet at the shoulder and typically weigh about 300 pounds. A taut, mottled hide covers the creature’s sleek and vaguely feline body, yet the lahamu’s head is unmistakably canine. Its short, hairless tail ends in a tuft of mangy fur. A lahamu’s scintillating, color-shifting eyes shine with glee when tearing into a victim, betraying the creature’s malevolent nature and intelligence. The long, barbed, and jagged fangs jutting down from the creature’s upper jaw make the lahamu difficult to dislodge after a bite. The creature’s ability to siphon the charisma of its prey makes the animal’s bite all the more fearful, earning the lahamu the name “soul drinker” in some languages.
A single lahamu uses stealth to approach its prey, but when hunting in pairs or as a pack a lahamu makes use of its wail. This keening cry, the sound of terror incarnate, creeps into the minds of those it affects, becoming the most horrifying sound they could imagine. An adventurer may hear the weeping of a mother at the death of her baby, some listen to the dying scream of a dryad as her tree burns, still others quake at the sound of a wet thud of dirt piling onto a coffin…as heard from inside. Lahamu employ their wail just before charging into combat, coordinating their attack to first target those affected by their chilling cry.
Lahamu inhabit temperate plains. The strongest female leads each pack, and chooses her mates from within. While lahamu can feed off the charisma of any creature, they prefer sentient beings both for their taste and for the screams such creatures make. Although they cannot speak, lahamu understand some common. Intelligent undead like vampires, liches and even the occasional dragon ally with a strong pack, using lahamu as scouts and guards.
<EDIT> My wife, who is better at...word stuff than I am suggested that recourse wasn't quite what I meant. It wasn't. WHOOPS!
So...
I'd really like to win RPG Superstar 2010. I am working towards that end, and would be a fool not to give my all but here's my thought...
There have been 32 very cool monster submissions this round. As we whittle our way down to the top 8 and the top 4, we all know "There can be only one!" <aaaaaaaand lightning>
If I got into the top 4 (fingers crossed) but didn't win, I'd still want to keep writing. I'd want to make additional content and try to get it published, start getting the rejection letters so I can keep polishing until I get it right. I guess my question is: does anyone know what options there are for people that want to submit their work but that don't get the brass ring?
Description: Prowling the coldest reaches of the world, the chaitrakhan is a fierce, catlike predator with a dense, broad-backed build and crystal clear eyes. Its snow-bleached coat gives way to an azure patchwork of ice growing from the creature’s body along its forelimbs, spine, and wickedly barbed tail. This ice armor fluoresces an eerie blue light that intensifies as darkness falls and combines with a chaitrakhan’s languid movements to give observers the impression that the creature’s very body shifts between ice and water with each breath. Aggressive and cunning, chaitrakhan view smaller creatures as viable prey, making them a particular threat to humanoids sharing their territory. A single chaitrakhan is formidable but the creature’s ability to mentally connect with others of its kind makes it a deadly pack hunter, stalking and killing yeti, winter wolves, and even dire bears without fear.
Powers and Abilities: A chaitrakhan senses the heat given off by other living things and can pinpoint prey through all manner of illusions and camouflage. They deliberately ambush in blizards and blinding snowstorms to make full use of this advantage. Using the serrated barb at the end of its tail, a chaitrakhan stings its prey and injects a paralytic poison that violently expels water from the victim’s body and instantly refreezes the water into a binding net of ice. Lastly, scent glands in the chaitrakhan’s paws secrete pheromones on fallen snow, attracting others of its kind and creating a shared and cumulative intelligence among pack members. This mental link confers increased speed, strength and heightened awareness on each creature in the bond and makes a chaitrakhan resistant to mind-affecting magic. The mental bond grows in power based on the number of chaitrakhan in the pack.
Aura faint transmutation and illusion; CL 5th
Slot neck (see below); Price 750 gp; Weight -
DESCRIPTION
Found across Golarion in the hands of Red Mantis Assassins and Nimrathi forest fighters alike, Snapleaves are a single use magic item, potent for both infiltration and evading escape.
Carved from crystal to resemble a leaf of any kind, a Snapleaf is worn around the neck although it does not conflict with any other magical item a character might wear on that slot of the body.
Activating a snap leaf is an immediate action. Once activated the wearer benefits from the effects of both Feather Fall and Invisibility. While the feather fall effect terminates once the wearer touches ground, the invisibility persists for another 5 rounds, or unless the wearer otherwise terminates the effect, per the Invisibility spell.
If activated when not falling the Snapleaf grants its Invisibility effect for 5 rounds. The Feather Fall effect, however, is wasted and cannot be triggered at a later time.
CONSTRUCTION
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, Feather Fall, Invisibility; Cost 375 gp
Greetings all.
I've been through the Beta release and the Web Enhancement for the magic items but I don't see where creating magic items is dealt with. Are we to assume that creating magic items is the same as the 3.5 OGL, or am I just thick as a whale omelet and missed where it's been mentioned.
Greeting all.
Hail the Pathfinder Project!
Question. Does anyone know if there has been clarification on whether domain abilities or specialist powers would stack with the bonus spellcasting levels afforded by prestige classes?
My thought, initially, is no as it seems that these new powers are part of the effort to make the base classes playable up to 20th level, but I so far haven't seen clarification on this, and wanted to know if anyone out there did.
Thanks in advance.
Cheers
-QGJ
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8, Contributor
